A Season of Sacrifice

The season of Lent is such a beautifully spiritual and meditative time. I LOVE that you are given opportunity after opportunity to grow in faith and practice sacrificing and giving to show your thanks, dependence, and devotion to Jesus. Lent is great because it is never too late to get started; you can always turn the switch to "on" in your spiritual life.

Holiday: Lent- the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter

Celebration: The 40 day period that represents the 40 days that Jesus was in the desert before he started his public ministry and also is symbolic of the 40 years the Israelites spent in exile after the exodus. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

This video does a great job of explaining the key points of the Lenton season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3L3c23MfC0&feature=youtu.be

Historical background:
Lent is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting, special prayer and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The name "Lent" is from the Middle English Lenten and Anglo-Saxon Lenten, meaning spring; its more primitive ecclesiastical name was the "forty days," tessaracoste in Greek. The number "forty" is first noted in the Canons of Nicaea (A.D. 325), likely in imitation of Jesus' fast in the desert before His public ministry (with Old Testament precedent in Moses and Elijah). By the fourth century, in most of the West, it referred to six days' fast per week of six weeks (Sundays were excluded); in the seventh century the days from Ash Wednesday through the First Sunday were added to make the number forty.

Biblical basis:
The concept comes from Holy Scripture, inspired by the acts of Jesus, Himself, and then His Apostles. The practice of fasting is very common theme in the New Testament. But the sacrifices of the 40 days of Lent are directly inspired by Christ's very own experience in the desert, where he did not eat or drink for 40 days and was tempted by the devil afterward.

If Christ, Himself, who is perfect and without any sin, was lead by the Holy Spirit to fast for 40 days and be tempted, then as sinners, it is definitely a wonderful opportunity to engage in those acts as well. He goes on to instruct how we are to fast, by appearing as if we are not fasting, so that only God knows what we are doing. We also see that whenever the Apostles needed wisdom, they fasted and prayed, first.

Both Christ and the Apostles engaged in this sacrifice as preparation for something bigger, and to strengthen themselves, spiritually, for their service to the Lord, much like what we are hoping to accomplish during this season of Lent.

Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Luke 2:37
Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

Acts 13:3So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Create a prayer jar at home and each night at dinner have each family member say a special prayer for someone and put a bean or jewel in the jar for each intention
**Focus on a different saint each week and how that saint was an excellent example of praying, fasting, and giving- do a coloring sheet of this saint and hang it by the Lenten cross you made as a reminder of someone you can look to for an example of how to follow Jesus

-Fun family ideas:
**Attend a Knights of Columbus fish fry!
**Use the calendar here to remind you of ways you can pray, fast, and give on a daily basis- great way for the family to start the morning together. http://bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give-2013

**Make pretzels as a family while practicing your prayers! Pretzels originated in Europe during the Middle Ages. A monk was making unleavened bread for Lent with flour and water because eggs, milk and lard were not consumed as part of the Lenten fast. He twisted some of the dough into the shape of people praying with both arms folded across their chests. He decided it would be a perfect treat for children learning to say their prayers. He called the treats pretiola, the Latin word for "little reward."

**Volunteer together

**Use the little black book! They are wonderful. They have daily prayers, reflections, and devotions for the time of lent. (littlebooks.org)

-Religious traditions:
**Attend daily mass

**Visit a Stations of the Cross ceremony

**Spend quiet time in adoration

**Take part in the sacrament of confession

How we are celebrating:
When Aaron and I share meals together, we have been saying the family prayer for Lent that I posted in Ash Wednesday. We also light the three candles surrounding our matchstick cross to help us remember to focus on praying, fasting, and giving. I am spending each Wednesday in adoration saying the rosary and have been reading daily from the Busted Halo advent calendar and my Little Black Book for Lent. It has been a beautiful season thus far and I cannot wait to have a more routine way of incorporating these practices into our lives once Aaron and I share a home together. We did do a special night of making pretzels for dinner as we said our evening Lenten prayer and lit our candles!

Celebrate with Pastries!

I really enjoy learning about and recognizing the biblical holidays because so much of what they celebrate is giving thanks. Purim is a holiday that began as a celebration to give thanks to God for helping the Jewish people escape from genocide. It is all about celebrating the belief that if you trust in God and put your faith in Him, He will help you get through hard times and bring you into the light. Giving thanks for religious freedom and God's blessings is a beautiful way to recognize that He is the supplier of all that is good and all that we have to be thankful for in our lives. Purim focuses on celebrating God's promise that if we trust in Him, He won't let us down. Again, this is a feast that was celebrated during Jesus' time on earth; celebrating the same Holidays that were going on during His life, really helps me feel connected to Him. The feast of Purim is appropriate during the time of Lent because the central figure, Esther, gives an amazing example of what it means to pray, fast, and give, the three central focuses of the Lenton season.

Holiday: Purim (pronounced poor-im) February 23, 2013

Celebration: Also known as the feast of Lots, it is the Celebration of a narrow escape from genocide described in the biblical Book of Esther.

Historical background: The Feast of Lots, also called the Feast of Esther, occurs in late winter and celebrates the liberation of the Jews of Persia from destruction at the hands of the proud and wicked Haman, Prime Minister under King Xerxes.

The book of Esther begins with Esther being chosen to be the wife of Ahasueres because his first wife had refused his will. Haman plotted to exterminate the Jews because he had a deep hatred for Esther's cousin, Mordecai who had raised her. Mordecai refused to bow down to Hamen because he did not want to set human glory above the glory of God. As Prime Minister, Hamen sent out a letter to all of the provinces telling them the day in which they were to exterminate all of the Jews in that area because they were a people who opposed the king. Mordecai learned of his plans and spoke to Esther encouraging her to defend her people as her position of queen was a God given one. She called for a fast in order to make an appeal to the King on behalf of the Jewish people. She fasted for three days and then approached the king (unheard of for anyone to do during this time let alone a woman) to ask that the decree that Haman sent out be reversed. The king was very upset by the decree because it would mean that Esther would be killed as she confessed to being Jewish herself. He had Hamen hung and approved a letter to be sent out to the Jews in all of the provinces making them aware of the plot against them. Through faith in God, they defended themselves when the day came and they were delivered from their oppressors. The day of victory was so named Purim because Hamen had cast lots (purim) to determine the day on which he was going to exterminate the Jews.

God demonstrates that He is the master over the outcome of chance throughout the entire narrative. Purim is a happy, fun-filled holiday that rejoices over the irresistible grace of the God of Israel and his providential care.

Biblical basis:

The entire scroll of Esther recounts all of the events surrounding Purim (Esther 1-10:3). Use this link to go to the entire reading (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Esther+1%3A1-10%3A3&version=ESV). I have added the verses below that deal strictly with the celebration of Purim.

Esther 9:20-32
20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirmingthis second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Queen Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make or decorate obnoxious noisemakers to play during the reading of Esther when the name "Hamen" is mentioned
**Make packages to bring to neighbors filled with Hamentash so they can share in the celebration

-Fun family ideas:
**Read the story of Esther aloud cheering when the name "Mordecai" is mentioned and booing and playing loud noisemakers when the name "Hamen" is mentioned
**Eat Hamentash!! They are delicious triangular pastries that represent the hat that the evil Hamen wore
**Have a festive family meal together with a celebratory sweet challah made with raisins or cranberries

-Religious traditions:
**Use the following guide to say prayers together before the family meal
Mother: lights the candles and says:
          Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe,
          who has given us light in darkness and victory over our enemies.

Father: Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, by whom we were created and to whom we owe all glory and praise. As we commemorate thy saving power on this feast of Purim, may we always look to thee to be our strength, our protection and our deliverance.
Child: May we be as obedient as Hadassah (Esther) and revere God with awe.
Child: May we be as faithful as Mordecai who refused to bend his knee to any but God alone.
Child: May we seek justice and never allow the hatred of Haman to flourish.
Child: May we celebrate with your people, O Lord, these days of Purim in which sorrow was turned to joy and mourning into feasting.
Father: Mordecai said to Esther, "Who knows but that it was for a time like this that you obtained the royal dignity." (Esther 4:14) We pray, O Lord, that each of us may be used in the position in which thou hast placed us, that we may bring thy justice, freedom and truth to others.We ask this in the name of Yeshua, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee and Ruach haKodesh, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.


Blessings to be said before reading the story of Esther:

Did Jesus celebrate Purim?:
It is written in John chapter 5 that Jesus was in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast, but scholars have questioned which feast this was. Some have rejected the idea that this was Purim because it was considered a "minor" feast and not one of the three pilgrimage festivals. However, we know that Yeshua celebrated Chanukah (John 10:22) which is also another "minor" feast. According to Lambert Dolphin's research on this question, chronologically the only feast that John could be referring to is Purim, since it is said to have fallen on Shabbat (John 5:9), but the only feast that occurred on Shabbat between the years of 25-35 CE was in fact Purim (in the year 28 CE). But why was it referred to an unnamed feast? Perhaps the spirit of God intentionally left out the name of the feast because the name of the Lord was likewise deliberately left out of the Book of Esther.

How we celebrated:
I'm sad because I totally forgot to take pictures during our Purim celebration (except for of the prayer cards I made below)! It was quite lovely though if I do say so myself. I prepared a vegetarian meal to honor the fact that Esther had to eat like a vegetarian in order to keep kosher in the palace. Aaron and I invited our friends, Justin and Larissa over for dinner. We all sat around the table, and said the prayer listed above while I lit the shabbat candles. After the prayer, Aaron did the blessings in Hebrew and then I told Justin and Larissa about the story of Esther and why it is significant. Larissa is a very strong, independent girl so I thought she would really appreciate Esther for defending her faith and her people during a time when women hardly had any rights at all. We then all enjoyed yummy Hamentashen (apple, chocolate chip, and raspberry) for dessert! It was a great meal full of wonderful conversation. It was a wonderful time to give thanks to God for being by our side and helping us get through difficulties we may face.

Fast, Pray, Give

One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is that you celebrate in seasons. You come in and out of different cycles of time that celebrate various feasts and holidays and through these periods, you get a chanceto really hone in on the things you want to work on in your life. In February, we enter into one of the most devout periods of time known as Lent. I particularly enjoy the season of Lent because everything about it is extremely reverent, holy, and meditative. Self examination and repentance are key elements of this time that allow you to work on shaping your life to be more about caring for others and focusing on God's will in your life.

Holiday: Ash Wednesday- the first day of the season of Lent February 13, 2013

Celebration: Marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The 40 day period that represents the 40 days that Jesus was in the desert before he started his public ministry and also is symbolic of the 40 years the Israelites spent in exile after the exodus. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Historical background:
"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms from the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins -- just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days' penance and sacramental absolution. Later, all Christians, whether public or secret penitents, came to receive ashes out of devotion. In earlier times, the distribution of ashes was followed by a penitential procession.

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

Biblical basis:
Ashes were used in ancient times to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults.

An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in...
Job 42:3-6
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”

The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way...
Jer 6:26
26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.

The prophet Daniel recounted pleading to God this way...
Daniel 9:3
3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes...
1 Maccabees 3:47 
47 That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes

Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible including...

Numbers 19:9, 19:17 
9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering.
17 For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel.

Jonah 3:6
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Matthew 11:21
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Luke 10:13
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Hebrews 9:13
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh.

Ezekiel 9 also speaks of a linen-clad messenger marking the forehead of the city inhabitants that have sorrow over the sins of the people. All those without the mark are destroyed.

Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make a cross from matches to represent ashes and humility
**Make a family Lenten calendar (similar to an advent calendar) but put special acts and prayers that your family can do together on each day
**Lenten Cross Craft- Create a cross for Lent using cardboard and whatever decorations you desire. Completed crosses can be used to symbolize your devotion during Lent. Any material can be used to decorate the cross, including foam, paper, beads, wax, leaves, or shells. They can hang the cross outside their door or above their bed.

-Fun family ideas:
**Be sure to add special practices to your family calendar like going to a Knights of the Columbus Fish Fry that happens on Fridays during Lent
**Make a plan for what your family is going to give up together to bring your family closer together and closer to God
**Lenten Alms Jar- Spend Ash Wednesday with your children choosing a charitable organization or another cause to donate the collected alms-fund to when Lent has concluded. One of the most popular Ash Wednesday activities for many children is purchasing and planting trees, or buying decorations for the children's ward in a hospital. An alms jar is used to collect the money saved as a result of whatever form of self-denial is undertaken during Lent, such as giving up smoking, candy, or renting movies.

-Religious traditions:
**Go to mass to receive ashes
**Say a family prayer together to celebrate Lent
**Be sure to add special practices to your family advent calendar like going to confession, adoration, daily mass, and stations of the cross

How we celebrated:
We went to mass together where they distributed ashes and talked about entering into the season of Lent and what it meant for us personally. After a day of fasting, we enjoyed a potato soup supper in the church hall. At home, I made a centerpiece to go in the middle of the table with three candles to represent the three things we should focus on during the time of Lent...praying, fasting, and alms(giving). I found a prayer that we can say each night as we light the candles and focus on praying, fasting, and giving more in our own lives. I also found this great online Lenten calendar that we can look at daily...kind of like an advent calendar!

http://bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give-2013

Finally, we talked about what we could give up for Lent this year as a sacrifice. Often times, lent is used as a two-for-one diet plan and sacrifice. I am definitely guilty of this so I really wanted to think about something I could do that would be a genuine sacrifice. I have decided to give up all extraneous shopping/ buying. Anytime I walk into a store, I am going to know exactly what it is I am going to buy and buy nothing extra. I keep track of all my spending, so I will be able to see how much money I save by doing this and I am going to donate the money that I would have spent on those extra purchases.

We are the Light of the World

I always love anything (quotes, songs, etc) that have to do with sharing your light with others. I feel like when people take the time to think about all that they have to be thankful for and all that they are blessed with, it fills them with so much joy, and when joy comes from such a genuine place, you can't help but want to share that feeling with others. Epiphany is a beautiful celebration because it marks the feast of Jesus being recognized as the light of the world. He lit a flame that could spread joy to all the world. I really look forward to the day when I can look around at my beautiful family and know that I am so blessed, and I cannot wait to build a family that brings light to others.

Holiday: Epiphany of our Lord- 12 days after Christmas January 6, 2013

Celebration: Jesus is revealed as the light of the nations

Historical background:
The feast of the Epiphany, which was kept in the East and in certain Western Churches before being observed in Rome, seems to have been originally a feast of the nativity; January 6, for those churches where it was kept, was the equivalent of Christmas (December 25) in the Roman Church. The feast was introduced at Rome in the second half of the sixth century and became the complement and, so to say, the crown of the Christmas festival.

Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. All Christian tradition has ever seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.

Biblical basis:

Matthew 2:1-11
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make crowns to wear during the feast meal
**Make candle holders for the candles to be used at the feast meal
**Give candles and a special prayer card to your family or neighbors to celebrate the spreading of light

-Fun family ideas:
**Bake a King's Cake! Bake a cake, then hide a tiny baby inside. The person who finds the baby in their cake gets to wear a crown to represent the kings that found Jesus in the manger, and gets to make three wishes to represent the three gifts that were brought to Jesus. The cake shows that just as the Magi made a careful search for the child king upon his birth, so we should acknowledge that an important component of our faith involves seeking and searching for the Lord in unlikely places (like a cake!)
**Clean out your closets! Encourage children to be a light unto others as Christ is a light for us and share the things they don't need with others. Take a load to a nearby salvation army or other shelter.
**Each family member can draw the name of a patron saint out of a hat to be their saint for the year. By focusing on the intersession of one saint, a person can really see the light that that saint brings to their life.
**Gifts can be exchanged to represent the gifts brought from the Magi- It is important, however, to ensure that the exchange of gifts on the solemnity of the Epiphany retain a Christian character, indicating that its meaning is evangelical: hence the gifts offered should be a genuine expression of popular piety and free from extravagance, luxury, and waste.

-Religious traditions:
**Candle lighting- Epiphany is a festival that lends itself well by theme and tradition to fun family activity. Before beginning the evening meal on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), use the following service. There is one white candle lit in the center of the table. There is an unlit white candle at each place.
All: (sing) "Shine, Jesus, Shine" or "We Are Marching in the Light of God (Siyahamba)"
Parent: God, who by a star led wise men from far away to see the child Jesus; draw us and others to him, so that, praising you now, we may in life come to meet you face to face; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Parent: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus is the light of the world.
Child: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Child: Neither do people light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all that are in the house. (Each person lights his/her personal candle from the Christ candle.)
All: (Holding candles high) Let our light so shine before people that they may see our good works and glorify God.
All: Thank the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen.
**Bless the household- Another tradition of Epiphany invokes the Magi’s blessing upon the household. The following prayer can be said standing at the threshold of the door, "Peace be with this house and all who dwell in it, and peace to all who enter here. In keeping the feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the Magi’s search for the infant king, the Christ child’s appearing to the world, and the peace and hospitality shared between the Magi and the Holy Family. The family then “chalks the door” with a series of marks.The markings include letters, numbers, and crosses in a pattern like this: 20 † C † M † B † 13. The numbers correspond to the calendar year (20 and 13, for instance, for the year 2013); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold significance: C, M, and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but they are also an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, “May Christ bless this house.” A final blessing is then read, "May this home in the coming year be a place where Christ is pleased to dwell.May all our homes share the peace and hospitality of Christ which is revealed in the fragile flesh of an infant. Amen."

How we celebrated:
We went to mass together and heard about the Feast of Epiphany in the Gospel reading and in the Priest's homily. Unfortunately, we did not get to hold a feast day meal this year (again, sharing a household makes it easier to implement these traditions and celebrations). But, we are so excited to share this fun festive occasion with friends and families next year.